


The Aftermath

by Vander38



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25541854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vander38/pseuds/Vander38
Summary: In the Aftermath of Trespasser Malika Cadash adapt to life together.Some spoilers for Trespasser.
Relationships: Female Cadash/Sera, Female Inquisitor/Sera
Kudos: 5





	The Aftermath

I never normally worry about her.

Not like that.

I mean it’s not because I don’t care about her, because I do.

I really really do.

I love her, all of her, from her tiptoes to the top of her head.

Yeah I know that don’t look like much but she’s dense.

Not like that, I mean she’s, y’know, woof.

She’s tough as a dragon, tougher as she’s killed more dragons than they’ve killed her.

She’s strong, makes Bull look like a kitten.

One of those weird ones with the flat faces.

And, well, she’s tough in the head y’know? She’s strong and nothing gets to her.

Almost nothing.

Well she hides things well.

Mostly.

Now though?

I’m, well I’m scared.

Not of her, not like that, she’s nice, I’m the dick maybe sometimes.

Is that ironic?

Whatever.

I’m scared that she ain’t being strong, that she can’t be.

Not for this.

I’m scared she might break.

Like, in the head.

You know what I mean, I’ve seen people take it and take it and take it until they just can’t anymore and they just break.

Sometimes they fix.

But sometimes.

Nope, not thinking bout that.

She’s tough right?

She’s fine right?

She looks fine, angrier than normal but fine.

And she is a fine looking woman.

But she’s, I dunno.

It’s like she’s shorter, her temper, her voice, it’s like she’s trying to hold back you know? The last threads of emotion.

And she acts different than normal.

Like, she’s always been determined, never lets anything get in her way. People actually move out of her way or they get trampled.

It’s cool to see normally.

But now though?

It’s scaring me.

Just all day, every day.

Practicing.

She’s a fighter, she practices.

I get it, I do it too.

But it’s like she’s possessed.

Always swinging that sword, swinging and stabbing and swinging and stabbing.

Trying to forget and trying to learn.

Trying to teach her arm the new moves.

Trying to ignore the stump of the other.

Ever since she lost her hand, the next day she was up and trying.

Ignoring her doctors.

Ignoring her friends.

Ignoring me.

It hurts. I wanna help her, have to help her. And she just won’t. Won’t let me, won’t listen to me.

Just swing and stabbing.

Swinging and stabbing.

Even now as I watch her in the garden, just swinging at that dummy.

“Buckles.” I say, loudly, definitely loud enough for her to hear.

She ignores me.

Again.

“Buckles!” I practically shout at her.

Again nothing, so I go over and touch her shoulder.

She spins quickly, face angry, eyes wild and the sword stops moving a few inches away from my face as I jump back.

“Sera?” She says in a small voice, hushed and uncertain. Her face is shocked and her eyes unfocused and distant, the sword sags loosely in her fingers.

Then she seems to snap, her eyes lock on my face and before the sword hits the ground she is squeezing me tightly, pressing herself into my chest, saying my name over and over again.

I don’t know what to do so I just stroke her hair.

She’s saying sorry a lot so I just tell her it's okay.

“I didn’t know it was you.” She says, voice strained like she’s crying.

She’s never cried before.

Even on our wedding day.

I mean I did a bit.

Tell anyone and I will put you on my list.

“Buckles, Malika, you need to rest, you need to heal up.” I say gently, crouching low so we are level.

“Sera.” She says, her lovely green eyes watering.

“Malika you have to stop this, it isn’t good for you to keep pushing like this.” I say, stroking through her soft hair.

“I’m fine.” She says it quickly, almost snapping at me.

“You’re not Malika, you don’t talk much anymore, you’re not eating, you barely sleep without screaming, and you just keep practicing with that sword all day everyday, you need to let your body rest.” I say and she shakes her head.

“I have to learn this Sera, I have to get used to it without.” Her voice trails off but I know what she means.

“You have to let your mind rest as well Malika.” I say.

“My mind is fine Sera.” She says shortly, the strain back in her voice.

“Then explain why you just tried to decapitate me!” I say and she gapes like a fish.

“That was.” She says in s small voice that dies off.

“That was what?” I hate having to do this, I hate seeing the hurt on her face and in her eyes.

But I have to help her.

I swore to love her, to be with her, honour her, not obey her because that ain’t me, but the rest of it is okay.

I swore to help her.

And like the doctors say, sometimes to help it has to hurt.

“I didn’t know you were you.” She says, shuffling uncomfortably.

“But you know who I am right?” I say softly and she nods, eyes watering again, lip wobbling.

“I know who you are, Sera.” She says, wiping at her eyes.

“Then why did you nearly kill me just now?” I say again.

There is a drawn out silence.

“The Malika I know and love isn’t like this.” She flinches at my words.

“The Malika you knew wasn’t a pathetic, weak, useless cripple!” She practically screams it at me, then she sees to realise what she just said, she looks down at the stump of her arm.

I pull her close to me and just hold her as she cries into my shoulder.

“You’re not pathetic, or weak or useless Malika.” I say softly into her ear.

“But!” She begins but I shush her.

“You’re one of the strongest people I know, and the smartest but you’re stubborn, too stubborn for your own good.” I say.

“Pot kettle black.” She mutters.

“You took a couple of knocks lately and I know you just don’t wanna take things lying down, I get it. But you have to at least wait a bit, listen to yourself, to your body and if you won’t then listen to me, heal up, then learn, I know it must be hard to ask for help but please Malika, you have to take it slow.” I say pleading for her to understand.

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.” She says, voice more calm now though still strained.

“You don’t have to do nothing Malika, you just have to take things slowly.” I say gently.

“But!” She begins and I shush her again.

“No buts! Not now, I don’t normally do this but I am now, we are going to go inside, you are going to eat your dinner and we are going to try to be a normal couple for once!” I say and she meekly obeys and I can’t help but giggle slightly.

After we’ve eaten together for the first time in weeks we are just sitting together in a comfortable silence, though Malika is clearly tense, she keeps looking outside at the training dummy.

I have my sketchbook out and am doodling, mostly her face.

Then I flick back through a few pages and I smile.

I go and sit next to her.

“Malika, I have an idea you might like.” I say gently and show her the pad.

She looks closely for a moment.

“Er, Sera.” She says in a low whisper.

“Now I meant what I said about taking things slowly for a while, but when you are back in action this might just be interesting.” I say, looking at her beautiful face as she stares at the pad.

“Interesting?” She says weakly.

“Yeah the fun kind of interesting.” I say.

“Fun?” She asks, voice still weak.

“Yes and I spoke to a few people and it is definitely possible to do.” I say.

“You spoke to people about this?” She says.

“Oh yeah, it was Varric what gave me the idea, his Bianca I mean.” I say.

“Bian.” Her voice trails off.

“And I spoke to Dagna who said it can definitely be made to work with practice and it can be very useful and I thought it might be good in a fight.” I say, hoping she’s pleased.

“In a fight? How?” Her voice is still shocked, her eyes still wide.

Is she being thick deliberately?

I look down at the page.

The one with the other drawing.

I giggle, I can’t help it.

“Sorry.” I say quickly.

“But!” She says in that same voice.

“I’ll demonstrate later.” I say dismissively as I flick through to find the right one.

It’s the next page, and it’s one of my favourite drawings.

It’s her standing on the overwatch that looks out over Skyhold in the background, her coat tails flicker in the wind as does her hair.

She has a long sword held over one shoulder in her right hand and in place of her left hand is a large crossbow type device.

It’s based on Bianca, the bow, not the girl, and it takes the place of her left arm, and instead of bolts it throws bombs.

Yeah I know it’s cool.

Stop drooling.

She looks at the drawing for a long time, and the ones next to it of the bow in detail, Dagna did that one and it’s like a technical drawing, all little labels and gears and stuff.

She’s quiet and I can’t quite see her face from here.

“Buckles? Please don’t be mad.” I say gently.

“Sera.” She says then her voice fails away.

“Are you mad?” I ask and she shakes her head.

“Would it work?” She asks.

“Dagna says it might if she can get Bianca to help and I reckon she owes you a favour and if that don’t work Varric definitely owes you a favour so he can talk to her about making something similar. And if those don’t work we can adapt a goat foot crossbow to throw bombs easy enough.” I say blithely.

“Why bombs though?” She asks.

“Time it takes to reload, I can get six arrows in the air with my bow, with a crossbow I get one shot a minute so bombs can just hit lots at once and they can be versatile as anything, you know fire or bees or tar and Dagna has some old designs for shocking stuff and ice and stuff” I say quickly.

“Sera.” She says softly, looking at me for the first time in a while.

“I mean not straight away but when you are on the mend maybe.” I say sternly and there is a slight smile on her face.

“I’ll think about it, I have a lot to learn first.” She says softly and then she notices my glare.

“And I have to rest first.” She adds in a slightly sulky way.

“You're learning fast.” I say and she just glares at me.

She’s struggling not to smile though so I think she’ll be alright.


End file.
